Five areas, not eight, and other structural changes to the Hillsborough school district

Superintendent Jeff Eakins' reorganization of the Hillsborough County School District has something for everyone: A promotion (but no immediate raise) for the facilities chief, a bureaucracy to support 49 struggling schools, and enough savings to give teachers hope for a raise.

Eakins released details of his plan in an email to school employees on Monday, the day before it comes before the School Board. The board does not have to approve the reorganization, it is an information item on Tuesday's meeting agenda.

At the very top, Eakins is not replacing Alberto Vazquez, his former chief of staff. Instead, he will have two deputy superintendents: Van Ayres and Chris Farkas, who is being promoted from his job as chief operating officer. Farkas will not be replaced, but will keep his responsibilities along with some additional ones.

And, because so many schools will leave the eight administrative areas, there will now only be five areas, each with its own area superintendent and staff.

To conserve money in the district's general fund, Eakins is reclassifying some of his human resource partners, elementary generalists and principal coaches to a new position called "Support Specialist." These changes will do two things: They will redirect the employees' work toward the Achievement schools, and they will use other funding sources, such as the federal anti-poverty grants, and therefore protect the general fund's reserve.

The whole plan, which takes the workforce from 25,173 to 24,335, should save enough money so that teacher raises will be possible again.

"We knew this was something we had to do as an organization," Eakins said. "But as we do this, let's do this for the betterment of the schools and to support the employees."

Eakins also said he plans to bring up the issue of a tax referendum on Tuesday. "Not to do it, just to say that I'd like to explore and do some discovery around it."

Susan Duval, a longtime Hernando County principal who was reelected earlier this year to a second term on the School Board, is the School Board's new chairperson. The board named her to the position during an organizational meeting Tuesday, the ...

Administrators and support staff in Pinellas County schools will get a boost in salary and benefits just in time for the holidays, following a recent, unanimous vote by the School Board.Months of negotiations between the district and two employe...

Across Florida, local voters have agreed time and again to tax themselves more as a way to support school needs. Yet they live in a state where lawmakers keep pushing for lower taxes. How will this apparent discrepancy play out? Read on for that and ...

TAMPA – In between speeches about Lee Elementary School and the debate to rename Lee, the Hillsborough County School Board on Thursday also approved 17 administrative assignments that included new leaders at four schools.Andrew Olson is being t...

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How are state tests being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.